Champions League Fantasy Football: What the numbers say

Ahead of Matchday 13, UEFA.com crunches the numbers to find out which players are predicted to perform well on #UCLfantasy, presented by PlayStation.

Predicting which Fantasy players are going to perform on a given matchday is a difficult task. Through crunching the numbers, a projected points total for each player has been calculated based on the player's historical performance in the UEFA Champions League. Goals, assists, clean sheets and the likelihood of playing are the main parameters used in our projections.

The top five projected players for both Liverpool and Real Madrid are given below. As ever, check the latest team news and predicted line-ups before making your selection.

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LIVERPOOL

Despite being third in the list of his team's top #UCLfantasy points this season, Sadio Mané tops the projected list for Liverpool players because the algorithm is weighted towards recent form and takes performances in other competitions into account. Mané might be Liverpool's top scorer in 2022, but Mohamed Salah remains an appealing option despite failing to score in the UEFA Champions League since the round of 16 first leg. The Egyptian has 31 goals in all competitions this season and found the net against Madrid in last season's competition.

Although he has missed four of Liverpool's 12 UEFA Champions League games in 2021/22, Trent Alexander-Arnold has still amassed 48 Fantasy points at an average of six per game. With the ability to make telling contributions at both ends of the pitch, the full-back will be one of the first names on the team sheet for Jürgen Klopp and #UCLfantasy managers alike on Matchday 13.

Alexander-Arnold's fellow defender Virgil van Dijk is equally appealing, picking up 34 Fantasy points in the knockout stage alone, with his 55 ball recoveries the most among Liverpool's defence in this season's competition.

Luis Díaz has shone for Liverpool since his January arrival and is no stranger to big performances in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League, with three Player of the Match awards already. The algorithm gives him a good chance of adding to the five attacking returns he has already logged for Porto and Liverpool combined.

REAL MADRID

It is no surprise that Karim Benzema tops the Real Madrid projections, the Frenchman's numbers in the knockout stage especially making him an essential asset for #UCLfantasy managers. His projected score suggests he has every chance of adding to his 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, while strike partner Vinícius Júnior is also attracting plenty of attention and currently features in 29% of teams. Although he has scored only three goals in Europe this season, no player still involved has more assists than his six, and his pace on the counterattack could play a key role.

Big occasions require experienced heads and there are few better equipped than four-time UEFA Champions League winner Luka Modrić. The Croatian star's performances across both legs of the quarter-final with Chelsea were particularly memorable and he now faces another Premier League opponent he knows well, Modrić having recorded two goals and three assists against Liverpool during his career.

It is rare for a goalkeeper to feature among the top projected players for a team, but Thibaut Courtois has played an important role in Madrid's journey to the final, making 52 saves overall at an average of over four per game and also managing four clean sheets and a penalty save at Paris Saint-Germain on Matchday 7.

Although Rodrygo was not named in the starting line-up for Madrid's last UEFA Champions League match, the 21-year-old made a telling contribution off the bench with two goals in added time, and he started all four Liga matches after that victory over Manchester City. With just 4% ownership, the Brazilian could be a golden differential for #UCLfantasy managers, having already found the net five times in Europe this season.